Slowly Sewing Along & a Re-Decorated Bathroom

I have been slowly sewing a long with the Minoru Sew Along being hosted by Tasia of Sewaholic, very slowly. I have be slowed down mostly by work and personal obligations; I was also feeling down on my fabric choice from the time I started assembling it, after cutting, until Monday night and this only added to my lukewarm attitude of my project. I loved the jacket and loved the muslin I made but the fabric was just driving me mad.

I think I have mentioned before that I very, very rarely sew with synthetics, synthetic blends or unnatural fibers...this is because I tend to not like how they feel in my hand. In fact this is the first garment I have ever made using something that was not 100% wool, silk or cotton and I am stubborn and don't like unfamiliar things and was becoming very aggravated with this whole undertaking and regretted not using cotton canvas as I originally intended. I chose this fabric for a couple of reasons: it was on super duper clearance at Joann's, I liked the large polka dots and iridescent type look and I also thought that a light weight jacket would be great in a synthetic type material, while it isn't waterproof material it doesn't really absorb water (I tested it out). Did I mention it was cheap and I am trying to economize? I also bought the lining material out of the bargain bin. As I worked with it I started hating it and missing my natural fibers, they seem to be more forgiving than synthetics...I don't know it was bumming me out so I just sort of let myself get distracted. Well I finally got the arm and side seams sewn on and the collar/hood part attached and I am back in love with it! When I tried it on it looks really cute and will be very flattering. I am probably going to have to take the hip area in a bit since the pattern is designed for pear shapes but otherwise I didn't have to adjust the size 8 and now I can't wait to get home tonight and continue....

There is one more reason why I can't wait to get home....I am re-decorating! I am starting with my bathroom and it is very near complete.

I live in a funny late 1920's/early1930's complex of little bungalows that surround a court yard, like where the Dude in the Big Lebowski lives. It is a one bedroom bungalow with one bath, a living room, kitchen and laundry. This is not as palatial as it sounds, it's tiny, you get more than three people in my house and it feels cramped for sure. Plus I have this huge harp, an ironing board out most of the time, and I can't even use my kitchen table since it is "Black Betty's" permanent residence...my Featherweight. Despite the tinyness of my casa and the fact that the temperature is usually somewhere between 55-65 deg. in the winter...I love it! It is completely mine, with all my favorite things, projects and clothes contained within. Plus it has character! It has the original Milk Man milk deposit compartment, it's pretty cool. I'll have to take a picture and post it for all you retro lovers but if you don't know what I am talking about it is something that most homes had back in the days of the Milk Man. There is a door on the outside of the house, a little door located by the kitchen usually, the Milk Man would come, open it and put the jug of milk inside a little compartment that could be accessed from the inside of the house as well, the home owner would open the inside door and pull the jug into the kitchen and then maybe they would put the empty jug in there for the milk man to take away when he came the next day or whatever, I'm not really an expert I just think it's cool....it also has a lot of retro light fixtures; any way I totally digress.

The point is when I first moved in I was totally broke, I mean flat broke and I had very little in the way of home accoutrements, if you know what I'm sayin'? I didn't even have a couch! I had a bed, dresser, a huge flat screen TV, Black Betty, Wall Decor and that is basically it, oh and my clothes. I slowly started acquiring things and have turned my living space into a comfy spot but my bath room has not been so lucky in the almost three years I have lived in the bungalow. The day I moved in I realized I had no shower curtain or bath rug. Being broke as a joke I ran down to the Wall Mart and picked up the cheapest shower curtain and matching rug I could find, I also got a little trash can. I always told myself those things were only temporary and I would decorate it for real when I had more money but I never really got around to it, until now. I was at Target on Monday night and stumbled upon a shower curtain that I had to have, and when I saw the towels I really had to have those too and I realized how hideous and not me the stuff in my bathroom was, it was too masculine so I decided there and then I was going to redecorate! Target does something to me, it betwixts me, for some reason I never seem to have a problem pulling out my wallet here when I can barely do it any where else without freaking out...I bet they put something in the air to relax us and make us feel less guilty about impulsively deciding to redecorate our homes in the middle of the shower curtain aisle thus spending tons of money that we otherwise might not be so easily parted with. 

There are a few more things I want to do to my bathroom, I want a wall mounting cabinet since there is a really naked wall and more shelving would be very useful and I am going to make/sew a custom curtain to go around my sink. As you can see from the photos my sink is a wall mounted one that lacks a pedastal and the plumbing is on display for all to see and so I want to cover this unsightlyness up. Funny thing is that Gertie just posted on home dec sewing and I am planning to sew for my home for the first time...my redecoration was obviously meant to be. I have been so excited about my new house project that I had to share.

What about you all, do you have a home full of random items or do you match everything? Anyone participating in the Minoru Sew Along? of engaged in some mid-winter redecorating?

Cheers,

Amelia